The Council of Europe, a parliamentary advisory body on which 24 member states are represented, refused today to extend an invitation to the Palestine Liberation Organization to address it. The Council decided to have the matter examined by the political commission, a discreet way to shelve it for the time being.
The decision not to invite a PLO representative was taken after a Swedish representative, Socialist Deputy Carl Lidbom, tabled a resolution calling on the Council to “hear all sides in the Middle East conflict, including the representatives of the Palestinian people.” The decision to have the matter discussed in the commission was adopted by a relatively small majority.
The Council last year heard the Israeli and Egyptian Foreign Ministers and will hear this week the representatives of Syria and Jordan. It is due to present a proposal in April for solving the Middle East conflict. Israel is attending the sessions in an observer capacity.
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